Process for heating materials



R. C.y DATIN Filed April 2o, 193s PROCESS FOR HEATING MATERIALS 72072706090@ il/e March 24, 1936.

, INVENTOR RICHARD C. DATIN Patented Mar. 24, .1936

HEATING MATERIALS Syracuse, N. Y., assignor to PROCESS FOR Richard C. Datin,

Atmospheric Nitrogen Corporation,

., a corporation of New .York

New York,

Application April 20, 1933, Serial N0. 667,053

2 Claims.

the absence of a catalyst and the products of this' decomposition are burned with oxygen or air to produce the high temperatures such as are required ior welding or cutting metals. The methanol is advantageous as a catalyst active to promote the cracking of the methanol. The use of a catalyst, While preferable, is not necessary, but instead the methanol vapors may be heated suiiiciently high to crack quiring such` an intense heat, however, a diluted oxygen gas,'such as air, may be utilized.

A suitable apparatus for cracking methanol to provide the combustible gas of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawing. In the 5 drawing, the numeral I indicates a container for a catalyst material 2, within which there is an alundum or porcelain cylinder 3 on which is wound an electrical heating element 4 covered by a protective coating of heat exchanger consisting of two concentric pipes 6 and 'I coiled about vessel I communicates with the bottom of vessel I for conducting methanol vapors through the inner pipe 6 into the bottom of Vessel I in the space between cylinder 3 and 15 the outer wall of the vessel I, and for conducting the gaseous products of cracking the methanol vapors from the bottom portion of vessel I within cylinder 3. With this arrangement of inlet and outlet to and from vessel I and cylinder 3, 20

the entering methanol vapors pass upwardly between cylinder 3 and the walls of the vessel I and into the top of and downwardly through 'the interior of cylinder 3.' Catalyst 2 is lled into vessel I both outside and inside the cylinder. The 25 vessel and heat exchanger are enclosed in an outer shell 8 and the space about the vessel and heat exchanger is filled with a heat insulating material. Provision is a thermo-couple well penetrating the catalyst within cylinder 3 is provided for observation of l the temperatures of the catalyst.

yIn employing the apparatus described for cracking methanol vapors in accordance with 35 the process of this invention, methanol vapor is passed at the desired rate through the coil formed by pipe 6 and is heated by the heat of the gases passing through pipe 1. 'I'he heated vapors leaving the lower end of pipe 6 enter vessel I and 40 pass therethrough in contact with the catalyst where they are further heated by heating element 4 to promote substantially complete cracking of the methanol. The gaseous products of cracking the methanol through pipe 'I andv after giving up` a portion of their heat content to the incoming methanol vapors, may be further cooled by means not shown and then discharged to storage or directly passed to a torch for burning the gases to give a high temperature llame. Numerous torches or burners suitable for combustion of these gaseous products are known to the art.

'I'he catalyst employed in the apparatus described may be any material which suitably pros refractory cement 5. A 10 made for connecting re- Y sistance coil 4 to a source of electrical current and 30 pass out of the vessel 45 motes the decomposition of methanol at elevated temperatures such as a catalytic composition containing zinc oxide and chromium oxide in about equal molecular proportions. Numerous catalytic materials suitable for carrying out this invention are known to the art.

While the flame of this invention is of particular value in the cutting, welding or brazing of metals, its use is not limited thereto, but it may be employed for other purposes where a high temperature ame is of value.

I claim 1. The process of heating metal to cutting, brazing and Welding temperatures which comprises bringing liquid methanol to the place where the heating of the metal is to be accomplished,

cracking the methanol to obtain gaseous products therefrom, immediately feeding a jet of the said gaseous products and a gas containing oxygen to a ame of combustion of said gases and applying said ame to the metal.

2. The improvement in the method for maintaining a zone ,of high temperature employing methanol as the fuel for combustion, which comprises bringing liquid methanol to the place at which it is to be used as a fuel, cracking the methanol and then immediately jetting the gaseous products obtained by cracking the methanol into said zone in the presence of a gas containing oxygen.

RICHARD C. DATIN. 

